The present invention relates to beds of the type sometimes referred to as storage platform beds, i.e., platform beds having a storage area under the mattress support surface or platform, and more particularly to such beds having a pivotally mounted platform, referred to herein as lift beds.
Attempts to economize on the use of floor space in bedrooms and other quarters are legion, dating back centuries and including such famous examples as the Murphy bed, or wall bed or pull-down bed, from the early 1900s. Floor space is particularly at a premium in living quarters such as dormitory rooms, military barracks, and small apartments. It is known not only to move beds when not in use, such as with Murphy beds, but to otherwise use the same floor space for multiple purposes. For example, a loft bed leaves floor space underneath it for other furniture such as a chair, desk or dresser. It is also known to use the available floor space under a conventional bed frame for storage of clothing and other items, often with a bed skirt hanging from the bed frame to obscure the view of such items. While many conventional bed frames incidentally have such free space underneath them, there are other bed frames with facilities specifically designed for storage. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,556 to Gloger discloses a bed frame with legs and multiple roller-supported drawers which are slidably mounted to horizontal beams incorporated into the bed frame. The drawers occupy the otherwise empty area between the floor and the box spring.
Also, platform beds, which include a hard horizontal platform for supporting a mattress without a box spring, are available with drawers underneath the platform as storage space. Certain platform beds have a pivotally mounted platform which can be lifted on one side to provide access to a storage area under the mattress support surface. Once lifted, the platform may be held in its raised position by a gas or air spring. An example of such a configuration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,611,973 to Connell.